Abstract
In this study, a high-performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array detector (HPLC-PDA) method was developed and validated to simultaneously determine curcumin (CUR) and melatonin (MEL) in hyaluronic acid-coated nanoemulsions, a novel targetable delivery system to CD44 receptors overexpressed in many types of tumors. Chromatographic analyses were performed in reversed phase mode using a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile, methanol and 0.1% formic acid (35:15:50, v/v/v) at a flow rate of 1 mL min-1, and detection at 223 and 425 nm. The method was successfully validated according to the parameters of specificity, linearity, limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ), inter/intra-day precision, accuracy, and robustness. Linearity was demonstrated in the CUR and MEL concentration range of 0.5-20.0 µg mL-1 and 1.0-40.0 µg mL-1 (r > 0.999), respectively. Relative standard deviation (RSD) values for intra-day and inter-day precision were lower than 5%, and mean drug recovery varied from 94.91 to 98.33%. Mean drug content of 85.2 and 501.4 µg mL-1 and entrapment efficiency of about 80 and 20% were obtained for CUR and MEL, respectively. These results may be correlated to the differences in the drug solubility of these drugs in the oil and water phases of the nanoemulsion.
Highlights
Bioactive molecules extracted from diverse natural sources have been considered potential drug candidates for anticancer therapy
Curcumin ((1E,6E)-1,7-bis(4-hydroxy-3-methoxy phenyl)-1,6-heptadiene-3,5-dione, CUR) (Figure 1a) is a polyphenol derived from the plant Curcuma longa L., commonly called turmeric, which has been associated with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antiviral, and antibacterial activities, as indicated by over 6,000 citations.[4,5,6,7]
Considering the above mentioned, we have developed cationic nanoemulsions (NEs) co-encapsulating CUR and MEL intended to the treatment of the oral cavity cancers
Summary
Bioactive molecules extracted from diverse natural sources have been considered potential drug candidates for anticancer therapy. About 80% of drugs approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration during the last three decades for cancer therapy either are natural products per se or are based on, or mimicked natural products.[1,2] The anticancer and cancer preventive activity of natural products can be explained by multiple cellular and molecular mechanisms, for example, programmed cell death (apoptosis), alteration of cell cycles, anti-angiogenic and anti-inflammatory activity.[1,3]. Curcumin ((1E,6E)-1,7-bis(4-hydroxy-3-methoxy phenyl)-1,6-heptadiene-3,5-dione, CUR) (Figure 1a) is a polyphenol derived from the plant Curcuma longa L., commonly called turmeric, which has been associated with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antiviral, and antibacterial activities, as indicated by over 6,000 citations.[4,5,6,7] Several clinical trials dealing with cancers.
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